A prominent Chinese journalist, Dong Yuyu, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for espionage by a Beijing court, his family revealed on Friday. Dong, a commentator and editor, was detained by authorities in February 2022 while meeting with a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant. He had been held in custody ever since.
The Beijing Number 2 Intermediate People’s Court announced the sentence but did not provide a copy of the verdict to Dong’s legal team or his family. Additionally, there was no public statement on the court’s website or Weibo account regarding the decision.
The court’s ruling accused Japanese Ambassador Hideo Tarumi and Shanghai-based diplomat Masaru Okada of being agents of an espionage organization, according to Dong’s family. Dong had held a significant role as the deputy head of the editorial department at Guangming Daily, a major state-run newspaper in China, which was once considered relatively liberal. He also contributed to the Chinese edition of The New York Times.
Dong’s writings, including essays and opinion pieces, often expressed support for constitutional democracy and political reforms, views that were increasingly seen as opposing the Chinese Communist Party’s stance. Throughout his long career, Dong maintained relationships with foreign diplomats, scholars, and journalists, and he counted Tarumi among his personal friends.
Despite his open communication with foreign contacts, Dong’s family stated he was aware of constant surveillance by state security and tried to be transparent during his meetings with foreign diplomats, including those from Japan and the U.S.
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His family expressed concern that Dong’s conviction sends a chilling message to Chinese citizens, suggesting that any contact with foreign embassies could be deemed espionage. “This ruling should alarm every sensible Chinese citizen,” the family said in a statement.
U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, condemned the verdict, calling it an unjust punishment for Dong’s exercise of free speech and press rights, which are theoretically guaranteed by China’s constitution.